Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 14
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IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
the context of the story, the nations are removed from Canaan because
they had become utterly c orrupt—just as Israel itself will be brutally
removed in the future for its own detestable practices. These events
must be read within the context of God’s ongoing Story of redemption,
especially in light of God’s supreme revelation later in Israel’s Messiah.
Once the land has been conquered, the second section explains how
Joshua divides it among the tribes. We may wonder why there is such
a detailed description of the allocation of the land, but this gets at the
heart of the covenant. God’s intention has always been for his people
to thrive in the physical place he set apart for them. Israel’s conquest of
the Promised Land reflects God’s overall objective to reclaim the entire
creation as our good home and his glorious Temple.
The final section of the book focuses on Joshua’s leading the people
in a covenant renewal ceremony. The leaders of the various tribes and
clans gather at Shechem and are challenged to serve God alone, obey
the Law of Moses, and fully claim their inheritance from the Lord.
“Choose today whom you will serve,” Joshua challenges them. “As
for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” The people, aware of
their story and recognizing that they are to continue living it out, respond, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods. . . .
We, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God.”
At the end of Joshua’s life, the people have received God’s gift of
land as promised and are poised to fulfill their calling as agents in God’s
mission to all nations. The Lord has kept his promises to Abraham and
Moses. Now Abraham’s family must step up to become God’s covenant
people for the sake of the world.